Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Smoke from Canadian wildfires creates an eerie backdrop to Yankees-White Sox
The New York Yankees are set to take on the Chicago White Sox Tuesday night in the first game of a three-game series.
But the backdrop to Tuesday’s night game had a much different feel than a June evening the the Bronx.
Brendan Kuty, who covers the Yankees for The Athletic, shared a series of photos and videos from Yankee Stadium prior to first pitch. These images encapsulate the surreal feel in Yankee Stadium, and throughout much of the East Coast, as smoke from wildfires in Canada works its way southeast.
The smoke is coming from wildfires that have been raging in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia, and according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre 414 wildfires were raging in Canada, with 239 of those considered “out of control.”
In the United States, air quality warnings were posted from the Midwest down into the Mid-Atlantic. This image of the New York City skyline offers another glimpse at the smoke and haze working through the city:
Live view of Lower Manhattan from @Earthcam as dense wildfire smoke settles in close to the surface. Air quality is very poor and visibility has dropped significantly. pic.twitter.com/TICQap7lLX
— New York Metro Weather (@nymetrowx) June 6, 2023
According to this data, New York City currently has the worst air conditions of any major city on the planet:
Forecasters are calling for the conditions to continue throughout the week, including in the Mid-Atlantic:
The conditions even led to some cancellations. The Syracuse Mets, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, canceled their game scheduled for Tuesday night due to the conditions:
Due to air quality concerns, we have postponed tonight’s game and rescheduled our Wednesday morning game.
Wednesday gametime is now 6:35 pm.
Details regarding the rescheduling of Tuesday’s game will be announced at a later date. pic.twitter.com/M08WBGyHAw
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 6, 2023
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, canceled their game as well due to the smoke:
GAME UPDATE: POSTPONED
Tonight’s series opener against the @NorfolkTides has been postponed due to poor air quality and an abundance of caution for potential health concerns. The RailRiders and Tides will play a doubleheader later this week. The team is working with MLB… pic.twitter.com/hRC924pLZv
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) June 6, 2023
Currently, forecasters predict that the conditions will ease in the Midwest and Northeast during the day on Wednesday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that all people will experience adverse side effects from exposure to the unhealthy air, and further cautions that anyone with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, children and the elderly are most sensitive.
Those groups should consider moving all of their activities indoors until the air quality alert is lifted, the EPA recommended.
